Deborah Ross, the Democratic senatorial candidate in North Carolina, proclaimed in a recent interview that residents of some parts of the state have worse broadband availability than residents of Ramallah in the West Bank.
Ross, who is running to unseat GOP Sen. Richard Burr, made the remark to the editorial board of the Charlotte Observer Wednesday while discussing infrastructure that needs to be revamped in the state, all the while hitting the incumbent Republican for inaction on the issue.
“Broadband is an enormous issue,” Ross said. “I’ve been to Ramallah, and you can get better coverage in Ramallah than in Camden and Clay counties. How can you teach children in the 21st century?”
Ross made the claim despite Ramallah only receiving 3G coverage 10 months ago after striking a deal with Israel.
Ross has pushed this issue for months now, arguing that 13 percent of those in the state are underserved, pointing out that Burr has voted against measures promoting access in recent years.
Burr continues to hold a slim lead over the former state representative. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, the Republican is up by 2 points, taking 43.4 percent to Ross’ 41.4 percent.
